Wax additives are used to modify appearance, feel, slip, abrasion resistance and overall durability of coatings and inks. Ensuring the right wax additive particle size is chosen is essential to achieving these targeted performance characteristics in a variety of applications. Particle size influences how the wax interacts with the surface and formulation.

By controlling particle size, formulators can fine-tune key performance traits in the coating or ink system. Choosing the right particle size is also essential to avoid detrimental effects with the chosen application process (e.g. thin films like gravure and flexo ink, UV and can coatings).

Controlling wax particle size allows formulators to adjust:

Gloss and texture
Scratch and rub resistance
Slip and anti-blocking
Compatibility and dispersion behavior

Particle Diameter

Particle size distribution is typically reported at the Dv50, Dv90 and Dv98 levels. Dv values represent the diameter of a particle (often expressed in micrometers, μm) at a certain percentage point within the particle size distribution of a wax additive sample. Various instruments are available to measure the particle size using volume of particles or population of particle algorithms to calculate particle size.

The Dv {value} is defined as the percentage by volume or population of particles less than the reported value. For example, Dv50 ≤ 6.0 μm means that 50% of the particles in the sample are less than or equal to 6.0 μm. A Dv90 value indicates that 90% of the particles in the sample are smaller than this particular diameter.

Waxy polymers used for surface modification are typically supplied in prilled or flaked forms. The particle size for surface modification is optimized to balance ease of incorporation, compatibility and performance without compromising secondary properties. The particle size can be controlled and customized using micronization, dispersion and emulsification techniques. The chart below illustrates the average particle size range using these techniques.

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Particle Size Effects

Different applications require specific functional outcomes, and particle size determines how well the wax can deliver those outcomes. The following graphs demonstrate performance trends based on a surface modifier at varying particle sizes. The performance trends in these graphs are based on an industrial coating containing an equivalent amount of a specific surface modifier applied to a common substrate at the same dry film thickness (dft).

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Lubrizol Wax Additives

Lubrizol provides a comprehensive selection of wax additives in both powder and liquid forms to meet diverse manufacturing needs. Leveraging expertise in raw materials, applications, and processing technologies, Lubrizol delivers a variety of wax and slip additive chemistries with tailored particle size control for specific performance requirements. The range includes wax dispersions, wax emulsions, micronized wax, matting agents, and powder coating additives—engineered to enhance coated surfaces with unique benefits for applications such as metal, wood, printing, and packaging.

Contact us to learn more about how we can help achieve your ink and coating formulation needs through our portfolio of innovative wax additive technologies.

Customizing Wax Additive Particle Size Delivers Diverse Performance Capabilities